Multi-millionaire tech entrepreneur Lawrence Jones has lost his appeal against convictions for rape and sexual assault. The 55-year-old former boss of UKFast was jailed for 15 years in January after being found guilty of assaulting a female employee and drugging and raping two women in the 1990s.
Jones, from Hale, Greater Manchester, had already spent 10 months in custody. A reporting restriction prevented media coverage of the first trial to avoid prejudicing the second jury. The court heard that Jones left his victims 'stupefied and partially conscious' before attacking them.
One woman described feeling 'frozen, as if she were made of lead' after being given a drink, while another said she was 'not completely conscious' after consuming wine and cannabis. The judge noted Jones acted with 'entitlement, dominance and a total lack of regard for the rights and freedoms of these three women'.
Greater Manchester Police praised the victims for their 'immense bravery', and the Crown Prosecution Service described Jones as a 'sexual predator' who caused 'lasting emotional trauma'. Jones set up UKFast with his wife in 1999 and was convicted of two rapes and one sexual assault.
